Slaves of Insanity
by NerdyWordy
Summary: One day is all it takes to drastically change lives. Uta stood watching all the people pass by his shop. That day was truly a boring one. That is until he sees the Doves hunting someone down. With his interest peaked Uta leaves to follow them. He isn't prepared for what he found. Maybe ghouls are not the only monsters this world has to hide.
1. Chapter 1

"She isn't like us..." The red haired woman said quietly, looking at the floor. She was trying her best to avoid looking at the tattooed ghoul's stoic face. The other ghouls in the room agreed with a nod. There was silence for a moment as Uta looked towards a door at the back of his shop.

" It may be true that she is not one of us, but you all must sense that she is not human either." He said looking all the other ghouls in the eyes.

"Then what is she?" One mumbled trying not to anger the mask maker.

"I don't know." Uta whispered sounding like he was deep in thought. "But I intend to find out."

The other ghouls whispered quiet protests as they left the mask shop together. Uta sighed heavily as he fell back into his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Uta." A female voice whispered softly. Uta looked up to see the red haired woman smiling halfheartedly.

"I don't, but that fact alone makes this even more interesting." He said amused earning an angry sigh from the woman. "Itori, You out of everybody should know. I can take care of myself."

Itori opened her mouth to protest his statement, but quickly shut it realizing he was right. Uta was one of the strongest ghouls she had ever seen. In fact she had never even seen him use his kagune. Every time he fought, he had only used his bare hands. "Just...be careful." Was all she could say as she walked out of the shop door.

Uta sighed in relief as he heard the door shut. Finally he was alone. Well, almost alone. He once again looked over to the door at the back of his shop. He knew that _she_ was behind it. He thought about checking on her but decided that, in that moment, he was just too tired to do so. She would be fine. He sank back into his chair, placing one of his tattooed hands over this black eyes. The memories of the day flooded his vision as he drifted off into a hard slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

_It was freezing outside. Uta's shop had been pretty empty that day. He sat at his counter painting the last small touches to a mask that was already ahead of schedule. That day he felt uninterested in mask making. It was a rather odd feeling for him. He couldn't recall a day he had felt this way since opening the HySy shop. He quietly put his paintbrush down and stood from the counter. He walked over to the front of his shop and leaned his shoulder against the glass looking out. He crossed his arms as he watched all the bundled up people walking by his shop. There were more people braving the cold than he thought there would be. He watched a group of girls walk by, giggling as they saw him watching. He sucked in a sharp breath as he imagined how they would taste. That's when he first smelt it._

 _It was unlike any other smell. At first it had a floral scent to it. That's it. Gardenia. It was sickly sweet. He took in another breath. Gardenias and something else. It was an earthy smell. An ancient smell. This new scent puzzled Uta. He was sure it came from a being. An old, ancient being. Uta let his arms drop from his chest. His posture stiffened as his eyes scanned for the source of the smell. Nothing out of the ordinary. That is until a quick movement caught the corner of his eye. At first he had seen three men in black suits. They were pretty far away running out of an alley. Doves. Uta unconsciously rolled his eyes, but kept watching. They were following somebody. White hair. White shirt. Suspenders. Yeah, it was Juuzou. Uta's interest instantly skyrocketed. If Juuzou was involved, it was serious. He was running towards the shop. For a brief moment he thought Juuzou was coming after him. Juuzou was laughing. That psychotic grin plastered across his face. He was chasing somebody. Uta's eyes scanned the crowd for the person that was making Juuzou enjoy himself so much. The smell was getting stronger. His eyes locked on to a woman. This was the one. The smell was coming from her. She had long chestnut-brown hair that curled loosely at the end bouncing with every long stride she took. Her skin was pale making her icy-blue eyes pop. Uta was frozen as he got a better view of her. She was pretty much naked. Her clothes, for lack of a better word, reminded Uta of the slave grab that Princess Leia wore in Star Wars. Around her neck was a thick metal collar. There was a chain hanging from it, swinging violently against her chest as she ran. The thin, black fabric that covered her breasts were bunched in the middle by a circular pendant. The pendant was a red circle with an "X" over it. The almost see through fabric was held up by a pair of dark colored chains. The bottoms consisted of just enough of the black fabric to cover what should not be seen in the front and back, leaving her hips and long legs exposed. This too was held in place by the dark colored chains draped across her pale hips. As Uta eyed the garb he briefly wondered how in the hell it was staying in place. He heard the pattering of her bare feet as she got closer to his shop. Uta's lips parted as she ran past him. Her eyes locked with his. Fear and Panic radiating out of them. All of this felt like an eternity, when really it was only a few minutes. The woman was gone. Juuzou and his men rushed past the window bringing Uta out of his shocked state. His interest was peaked by this woman. Uta ran to the counter and pulled out his own mask placing it on his face as he exited the HySy shop. He couldn't let Juuzou terminate her. After all he was bored, and this looked like fun._

 _Uta followed the ancient scent of the woman down the street that she had run towards. His pace quickened as he seen the old abandoned warehouse at the end of the street. He knew without a doubt that they were in there. He slowed as he approached the entrance. He was careful not to make a sound as to not give away his presence. He could hear Juuzou's insane giggling in between taunts. Uta peered around the corner to see what was going on. Juuzou had the woman on the ground. His foot on her chest holding her down while he held onto the chain that was connected to her collar. The woman's face contorted in pain as Juuzou yanked on the chain pulling her neck and face up to look at him. The woman brought her hands up to the collar trying to loosen it from her neck. Uta realized she was wearing black gloves. He cocked his head to the side. It was an odd choice. Gloves with such a revealing outfit? Something told him that she wasn't wearing them for fashion or warmth._

 _"Fight back~!" Juuzou giggled. The woman shook her head and gave him a pleading look. Juuzou knelt down to her level keeping his foot firmly placed on her chest. He pulled the chain again making her face come within inches of his own. "This is no fucking fun. Fight. Back." he sneered in her face losing all of his childlike demeanor. The woman bit her lower lip as she looked straight into his eyes with the ever present pleading look. Juuzou didn't notice the woman slowly taking off her gloves. Uta's body went rigid. He felt unexplained excitement as he watched the scene before him. In a swift fluid-like motion the woman had cupped Juuzou's face within her hands. Both of them instantly froze. Nobody moved. Not them. Not the doves. Not Uta. What was going on? Knowing Juuzou, he wasn't finished. He would not have been done with the woman until her blood had painted the walls of that place. Uta moved across the opening to the other side to see Juuzou's face. His eyes were glazed over. It seemed like he wasn't mentally in this world anymore. Juuzou's breathing started to become heavy, faster. He let out a small whimper. It seemed like he was in distress but he couldn't move. His grip on the chain increased. His knuckles turned a shade of white. Uta was astonished. What was she doing to him? He moved in closer to get a better look of what was happening. He walked slowly over and stood behind the Doves that were as entranced by what was happening as he was. They didn't even notice his presence. Uta got his up close look. Juuzou let out another small whimper. Uta couldn't believe what he was seeing. Juuzou was in a trance like state. He wasn't moving but his body was reacting to...something. Juuzou's pants were becoming tight as a bulge that this situation didn't call for was prominent. This perverted fuck was getting off on this. Uta couldn't help but to let out a laugh breaking the silence in the warehouse. The woman flinched and let her grip slip off of Juuzou's face. She frantically tried to re-position them back onto his bare skin, but it was too late. Juuzou slapped the woman with enough force to stun an elephant. He took her moment of shock to pin both of her wrists down with his knee._

 _"How did you do that?" He asked the woman through a shaken voice. The woman was trying her best to free herself from the man. Much to Uta's surprise the woman actually managed to squirm away. Juuzou smiled sweetly and yanked the chain as hard as he could bringing her back to him in one swift movement. He was back on top of her, Giggling. "I asked you a question! WHAT ARE YOU?!" he yelled causing the woman to flinch. Uta had seen enough. He was starting to get bored again. He walked casually through the group of men and up to where Juuzou was._

 _"What do you have there. Juuzou?" Uta's smooth voice asked causing the psycho man to look up at him._

 _"No face~!" He giggled. "What a treat. I will be with you soon. I just have to kill this first." he sang as he gripped a fist of the woman's hair and started to repeatedly slam her head down to the ground. Uta moved forward to stop him but was met with the Doves protecting Juuzou and his monstrous deed. Uta smiled under his mask. This should be easy. He glanced at the woman every now and then as he fought with the Doves. She was trying desperately trying to touch his bare skin. Once her hand collided with his chest only for him to smack it off. He kept on pounding her head into the ground. Finally the woman reached out and placed her hand flat on the ground. The ground the began to rumble and shake causing everybody to stop what they were doing. The ground around them began to crack and open. The Doves ran. 'Cowards' Uta thought as he watched them flee. Juuzou laughed making Uta turn his attention back to the psycho. Thick briers were snaking up out of the cracks. They were twisting and curling making their way to the two of them. "Stop them!" He cried as they made their way up and between Juuzou and the woman. They wrapped themselves around Juuzou's wrists and arms covering his beautiful stitching. The briers got thick around his wrists causing him to stop his insane assault on the poor woman's head. Uta watched amazed. D-did she make that happen? No...That's impossible...right? The woman looked up at Juuzou. Uta couldn't read the expression that now adorned her face. She looked...Sorry? She squirmed her way out of Juuzou's grip. She picked up her gloves and placed them back over her pale dainty fingers, ignoring Juuzou's threats and screams. She shakily tried to stand up and even took a couple of wobbly steps before clutching her head and falling down. She was out cold. Uta walked over to her and scooped her limp body up in his arms. He looked down to a now silent Juuzou._

 _"You have no idea what you have in your arms~!" Juuzou laughed in his sing-song voice. "Just kill her. We will all be better off. If you don't do it now, I will find her and do it myself."_

 _Uta looked down at the woman in his arms. How could this dainty woman be so bad? Uta turned his gaze down at Juuzou again "Better luck next time." he whispered as he carried the woman out of the warehouse._


	3. Chapter 3

Uta groaned as he tried to hide from the bright rays of light filtering in from the front of the store. He had fallen asleep in the chair. He sighed as he stood up and stretched, popping the bones in his back. He mentally cursed himself for falling asleep in such an awkward place. He was about to head over to the coffee pot when a strange sound stopped him in his tracks. It came from the back of his store. It was a soft kind of shuffling. Uta had momentarily forgotten about his guest in the back room. It sounded like she was conscious now so Uta decided to go check on her. He made his way slowly to the door and hesitated before opening it.

"Um...Hello." He whispered quietly as he slowly opened the door. He looked around the old storage room. The blanket he had covered the woman up in, was now lying on the floor, empty. He knew she was still in there. It took him a moment to find her curled up in the corner. Her knees were pulled into her chest. Her arms wrapped around them with her head tucked into them. It looked as if she was trying to hide from him. Uta took careful, steady steps towards the woman, only to have her pull into herself even more. He knelt down in front of her and reached a hand slowly out, placing it on her arm. The woman flinched when he done so. "Hey. I'm not going to hurt you." Uta mentally smacked himself. He was never very good at trying to comfort people. The woman slowly looked up at him. Her blue eyes met his black ones. For a moment she seemed to relax, but that was short lived as she quickly scurried away from the man's touch. Uta sighed heavily. He slowly followed her to where she was now huddled. He sat down on the floor next to her. "My name is Uta. You're in my shop. You're safe now." Once again the woman looked up at him. She stared at him as if she was taking in every single feature he had. She craned her neck out to see his eyes better. She was like a curious child. Uta noticed dried blood around her neck and collar. Juuzou must have cut her good when he was pulling on it. Uta's eyes seemed to lock onto it. What did she... _taste_ like? His mind dwelt on the thought. She wasn't human, and she certainly wasn't a ghoul. What did that maker her? He had so many questions he wanted to ask. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft gloved finger tracing over the tattoos on his hand. He looked at her questionably. She was acting as though she had never seen a tattoo before. How? Almost everybody has at least one these days. He held his hand out for her to look at. At first she flinched again, looking up to Uta's eyes. She hesitantly took it in her hands. She held it up close to her face, taking in every detail. Uta watched her curiously. "Where are you from?" he asked more to himself than to her.

She paused her inspection and looked at Uta. She pointed at the door. Of course. Why would he have thought she would have actually answered him. Thinking back to yesterday, he hadn't heard her make a sound. Not even when Juuzou was trying to crack her skull open like an egg. It hit him then. He looked the woman in the face and whispered his revelation. "You can't speak...Can you?"

The woman slowly shook her head 'no' and gave Uta an apologetic look. Uta sighed and leaned his head against the cool wall of the store room. What was he going to do now?

The chime of the store door rang out alerting Uta that somebody has entered the store. It immediately made the woman recluse back into herself, dropping Uta's hand. Uta stood up and looked back at her as he exited the store room "I'll be right back."

He quietly closed the door and turned to whoever it was that came in. "Welcome." He greeted as he made his way closer to the visitor. The person was standing with their back to Uta, admiring one of his masks that hung on the wall. The sight of white hair made a lump of dread knot up in his throat. Surely Juuzou hadn't found him so quickly. The visitor turned and smiled at Uta.

"Hey, Kaneki." Uta sighed. "What can I do for you?"

"I had an accident and tore my mask." He said with hints of guilt as he handed Uta the black mask. "You seem nervous, Uta, Is something wrong?"

Uta shook his head softly as he took the mask out of Kaneki's hands. Examining the tear and walking over to his work station. The mask was torn across the cheek. Uta shuffled in the drawers to find his needle and tread. Kaneki absentmindedly walked around the shop as Uta set to fixing the tear. Uta's eyes would wander up every now and then when Kaneki got close to the storage room door. Kaneki's eyes kept examining the door and then he would move on, only to find himself in front of the door again.

"How did this happen?" Uta asked him trying to pull him back away from the door.

Kaneki looked back at the mask maker and then back to the door before he walked over to where Uta was sitting. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Uta stopped sewing to look up at him. He raised an eyebrow at the white-haired ghoul. "Try me."

Kaneki sighed as he sat down on a stool across from Uta. "Last night I ran into _somebody_...well... _something_. I-I don't even know what it was. At first I thought it was a human, as I got closer I seen it wasn't. When it turned around I seen it was a man, He was wearing a mask, so I thought he was a ghoul. I couldn't pick up his scent though. All I could smell was blood. He looked like he was looking for something. I approached him and as he seen me, he immediately attacked me with fucking scalpel." He paused as his eyes drifted over to the door again.

"A scalpel?" Uta asked inspecting his stitching on the mask.

Kaneki nodded. "Yeah, he caught me off guard, he actually landed one on my face."

"Did you kill him?" Uta asked as he handed the mask back to its owner.

"No." Kaneki mumbled quietly. "I left, but then I decided to follow him. I followed him for a long time. He still acted as though he was searching for something. He regrouped with _more_ of them. They all had the same overwhelming smell of blood. Each one looked different though. The guy I followed wore a blue mask, the others looked completely different. They were talking about finding somebody. They're looking for a woman."

Uta tried not to show his emotions. He tried desperately to not look in the direction of the door. Did he have the one they were looking for?

"You don't say" Uta mumbled placing his chin in his hand and resting it on the counter, seeming uninterested. "What did the blue mask look like?" He asked wondering if it was one of his creations.

"It was blue, dark blue. The mask had black where the eyes should have been, with black streaks oozing from the eye sockets. Also it had no mouth." Kaneki said trying his best to remember all the details about it.

"It's not one of mine." Uta whispered to himself.

"It didn't look like one of yours." Kaneki agreed looking back to the door. "Say, Uta, What's in that room?"he asked nodding his head in the direction of the storage room.

"Storage, why?"

"It smells funny." Kaneki mumbled as he stood.

"I'll make a note to clean it out then." Uta said amused.

"You do that." Kaneki nodded and thanked Uta for fixing the mask before he left.


	4. Chapter 4

Uta stared off in the direction that Kaneki had left in. He was too smart for his own good. He thought about telling him about the woman in his storage room. Hell, Uta was convinced he already knew. He didn't know what to do with the mute woman. Turning her in to Juuzou was out of the question, but where would he take her? He couldn't just keep her here, could he? She was wearing a collar...did that mean she belonged to somebody? No. You can't keep people as pets. That was usually frowned upon. He decided to first start with cleaning her neck wound. He would then give her some normal clothes and set her free. She could decide where she would go. He even decided to go with her out of the city so Juuzou couldn't find her. Right. That was the plan. Uta locked the door to his shop and made his way back to the storage room. He opened the door to find her sitting exactly where he had left her. He walked carefully over to her and held out his hand to her. "Come on, We need to get you cleaned up."

The woman looked up at him with an untrusting gaze. She stood up without taking Uta's offer for help, and followed him out of the closet. He lead her down a hall and up some stairs to another door. Taking his keys out of his pocket he unlocked it and lead her inside his apartment. He sat her down on a couch and held up a finger, telling her to wait, as he went to a closet and fished out his first aid kit. Upon turning around his eyes fell on the woman looking at him with the most innocent gaze. In the light she looked a lot dirtier than Uta had expected. Her hair was matted and her skin had a fine layer of dirt smudging it. She was going to need a shower. Uta felt embarrassed to bring it up. But it must be done. He cleared his throat softly as he walked over to the woman. "Hey, You got kind of dirty. You can take a shower if you want."

The woman's eyes lit up as she nodded her head. She stood up to follow Uta to his bathroom. He opened the door for her and motioned her in. She walked in and stood there looking back at Uta. "Well, I will be in the other room if you need me." He turned to leave only to have the woman grab his wrist. He turned and gave her a questioning look. Her eyes fell away from his as she bit her lower lip softly. Uta stood confused as to why she wanted him to stay. "What?" he asked unconsciously. The woman's eyes fell upon the faucet and then back to Uta. "Don't tell me..." he whined. "...You don't know how"

The woman clenched her eyes shut and turned away from him, covering her face with her gloved hands. Uta sighed feeling a little guilty for hurting her feelings. It made him wonder what kind of a life she had lived before yesterday. Who doesn't know how to work a fucking shower? Uta felt a twinge of sadness for the woman. He walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." he whispered as her made her turn to face him. "I don't know what has happened to you before you came here. I will help any way I can." The woman still would not meet his gaze. "Whats your name anyways?" He asked and immediately regretted it. The woman gave a shrug. Its not like she could tell him. Uta thought for a moment. "Can I name you?" he asked feeling a little bit like a creep. The woman nodded. "I want to name you Leeloo." he smiled as he examined the chains that held up her attire. "It's from a movie I once seen. This situation kind of reminds me of it." he laughed. This time it seemed as though Leeloo understood. She didn't smile but her face and body relaxed slightly. "How does this come off?" Uta asked furrowing a brow gesturing to the chains. Leeloo gave him a shrug and slid the chain down her shoulder making Uta turn away from her and start warming the water. She certainly was not shy about undressing in front of a complete stranger. When the water was warm he turned to her and motioned her in as he held the curtain. "Leeloo you should take this off too." he sighed realizing she was naked all except the collar. He reached out to touch it, when Leeloo's bare hand held his wrist, stopping him from going any further. In that moment time stopped for him. When he looked around he noticed he wasn't even in his bathroom anymore. It was just a black room. The walls, the furniture, everything was black. He felt _strange._ A slight tug on his wrist alerted him to a presence. He looked down to see the naked Leeloo sitting by his feet. Her chain clanked as she moved her head up to look at him.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..." she whispered faintly. In an instant he was back in his bathroom. Steam had started fogging up the entire place making it hard the breathe. Leeloo was not touching him anymore. She was on the floor trying to hide from him again. Uta knelt down to her level.

"It's okay. Come on Lets get you cleaned up." he whispered as he motioned for her to stand up. Truth was, he was scared to touch her. He was confused and he felt like this was way out of his hands.


	5. Chapter 5

Uta held the curtain open for Leeloo to get in. She hesitated for a moment before stepping under the hot water. Her face instantly lit up. She held her hands up letting the water run down her arms before splashing her onto her chest. She actually smiled for the first time. She looked back at Uta smiling as she played in the water. Uta couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. He picked up his washcloth and put soap in it, making it sud up. "Here." he said as he handed it to the woman. She took it from him and started to run the soapy cloth up Uta's arm carefully. "No, no no... Leeloo, wash yourself." He laughed, mentally thanking himself for taking his black cardigan off before this fiasco.

Leeloo looked down at the cloth and then to her body. She slowly began to drag the cloth over her arms, moving up to her chest. Uta's eyes wouldn't tear away from her. He knew he shouldn't be watching her, but he couldn't bring himself to close the curtain. He found himself making flimsy excuses as to why he shouldn't close the curtain and leave her be. His eyes raked over her body, taking in everything. His eyes went up to her face. She was looking at him curiously. Her head tilted to the side as she stared back at Uta. She slowly held out the cloth to him. He took it from her as he watched her turn around. She bunched up her matted hair in her hand and pulled it around her neck to the front, revealing her porcelain back to him. He softly put the cloth on her back and wiped away all the dirt. His eyes scanning her back as he done so. She had so many scars. So many in fact, it was hard to count. Uta unconsciously stopped his cleaning and ran a finger down a particularly long one. Leeloo stiffened bringing Uta back out of his thoughts. He noticed she was hugging herself with her head titled down, the water was running off her face. "Who done this to you?" He whispered feeling genuine anger. She looked back at him and placed her hand lightly on the collar.

Uta let out an angry sigh. Of course. "Let's wash your hair." He mumbled trying to think of something other than where those scars came from. Uta held out the shampoo bottle towards the woman. He had expected her to just take it and wash her hair, but that was never as easy for Leeloo. She turned and knelt down with her back facing Uta. He didn't say anything as he put a small amount of the shampoo in his hand and placed it on Leeloo's head. He massaged it in her hair making it suds up. The shampoo started out as white, but quickly turned a reddish brown the more he rubbed. Seeing the new color of the suds made Uta slow his pace. He quickly inspected her scalp for a wound. There on the back of her head was a good sized gash along with numerous knots and bruises. The gash was opened wide. It looked like it had started to scab. No it wasn't a scab. It was dirt caked into the wound. Uta had broken it open as he washed her hair. The wound was going to need stitches. As he rinsed Leeloo's hair he swore to himself, Juuzou was going to pay. He was going to pay along with all the other freaks that hurt this woman.

Uta turned the water off and held out a towel for Leeloo to dry off with. She eyed it carefully before stepping out and into it. Uta wrapped it around her before he left the bathroom, making his way to his drawers. He was trying to find a shirt that would go over her neck comfortably. T-shirts were out of the question. He laughed at the image that popped up in his mind. The t-shirt laying on top of the bulky collar, making it look like a circus tent on her shoulders. Finally he settled on one of his white tank-tops. He knew it would be baggy on her, but it would have to do. Pants was a whole new problem. She looked smaller than him. He knew none of his pants was going to fit her. He grabbed some anyways. He grabbed the clothes up in his hand before pulling out his cell phone and dialing the numbers of a friend.

"Hey I need you. Bring your sewing kit." He said into the phone as he rounded the corner where Leeloo was still in the bathroom.

"Okay I will be there soon."

He hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket as he entered the room. Leeloo looked at him curiously as he held out his clothes to her. She took them from him and sat them down before stepping closer to Uta. Her small fingers softly picked up the bottom of his shirt. It startled him for a moment. She was trying to pull his shirt off. His breath hitched in his throat. He hesitantly touched her shoulders, careful not to trigger whatever had happened earlier. "Leeloo...what are you doing?" he breathe out. She eyed him curiously, like he should have already known. She let go of his shirt with one hand and pointed to the new stack of clothes he had just given her. She was trying to change him. "I brought those for you to wear." He whispered pulling his shirt back down over his toned stomach.

Leeloo looked at him and to the clothes before bringing her gaze back to him. She pointed at herself with a questioning look. As if she was saying 'for me?' Uta nodded as he picked up the white tank top from the stack. He bunched it up as he placed it over her head. She pulled her arms through the arm holes as Uta slid the fabric over her breasts. She looked down at it and gathered it up in her hands. She seemed excited as her fingers traced over the fabric straps on her shoulders. Uta held out the pants and was surprised when she took them and started to put them on. She smiled excitedly as she looked down at herself. Uta realized this was probably the first time she wore real clothes. Uta picked up her gloves from the floor. "Do...you need these?" He asked unsure.

She nodded and took them from him sliding them on over her small hands before quickly going back to excitedly feeling her new outfit. His clothes were pretty baggy on her and she kept having to pull the pants up as she followed Uta back down to the sighed as he walked over and unlocked the front door before finding his chair. He plopped down in it looking around his shop. Leeloo immediately sat on the floor by his feet. "You can sit in a chair." He said to her feeling uncomfortable with how this looked. She looked around at the other stools and chairs, but did not move. Uta leaned his head back against the chair, looking up at the ceiling, getting lost in his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

The door chime rang out as footsteps entered the shop. "Hey, Utaaa!" Itori sang as she waltzed closer to them holding a black bag. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell upon the woman sitting by Uta's feet. She was wearing his clothes. Not only that, but she was seated next to his feet as if she was on display. Itori couldn't help but feel the twinge of jealousy rise up from her chest. "Got a mini-me there?" she asked throwing a nod at Leeloo.

"For the moment." He answered as he stood.

"Whats with the collar? I didn't know that you was into that kinky shit." She teased not sure if it was making her feel better or worse.

"The collar came with the girl." He mused. "She wont let me touch it."

Itori sat the black bag down on the counter before she walked slowly over to the woman. Leeloo fidgeted where she sat, throwing unsure looks in Uta's direction. He gave her a nod telling her that Itori was okay. Leeloo relaxed only slightly, keeping her eyes on the other woman.

"Whats your name?" She asked as she knelt down to Leeloo's level.

"Leeloo." Uta answered from behind.

"Leeloo? What kind of name is that?!" Itori laughed.

"One that I gave her." He spat out in his usual smooth and uncaring voice.

Itori turned her head to look at him. "You named her?"

Uta nodded as he picked up the black bag and brought it over to Itori. "She has a gash on the back of her head. I need you to fix it."

Itori nodded as she took the bag from the man. "Lets have a look." she smiled as her hand darted out to touch Leeloo.

Leeloo panicked and quickly smacked the woman's hand away from her. She pulled away from the woman and tried to put as much distance as she could between them. Itori looked at her with a shocked expression. Her head slowly turned to Uta. "How do you expect me to do this?"

"I don't know. She let's me touch her." He said casually.

Itori's face immediately went to an expression of disgust as she misunderstood what her friend meant. Uta's head cocked to the side as it sank in. He sighed as he knelt down beside Leeloo. He held his hand out to her. She eyed it suspiciously before submitting her gloved hand into his. He softly pulled it, giving her an unspoken command to come closer. And she did.

"Leeloo, you need stitches in your head. Let Itori help you." He whispered bringing her even closer to him. Leeloo nodded as she settled herself in front of Itori with her back turned, giving her complete access to her wound. Itori shot Uta a very disapproving look before moving Leeloo's hair out of the way so she could see the damage.

"Holy shit…" She whispered as she finally got a good look at it. "How did this happen?"

"Juuzou." Uta answered with hints of anger falling from his voice. "He was trying to bust her head open when I found her."

"Juuzou?" She asked looking up from her sewing kit. "She is pretty lucky to have survived. Why was he after her?" She asked as she pulled out a saline bottle, preparing to clean the wound as best she could.

"I don't know." He answered.

"She doesn't smell like a ghoul." Itori mumbled to herself.

"She isn't human either. I told you. I told all of you when you were here last night."

"How do you know?!" Itori shot back with irritation.

"I have a feeling...and because she has a power. Its like a defense." He told her feeling embarrassed at how silly it sounded when he had said it aloud.

Itori couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. She momentarily put her needle down."What do you mean a power?" She giggled.

"I don't know what it is exactly. But when she touches her bare hands to skin, something happens. Its weird… She done it to Juuzou. He froze. He stopped trying to kill her for a moment. Which as you know, is very unlike him. He even popped a boner, right then and there." He told the woman chuckling.

"But how? Haven't you heard the rumors about Juuzou?" She asked not believing her friend's story.

Uta nodded. "I have and I know them to be true. I knew Big Madame."

"Then Juuzou shouldn't be able to get sexually aroused that easily, Uta" She said looking at the man. "Was she uhh...you know….touching him?" She looked back to Leeloo's head and continued her work with a face as red as it could get.

"No. She was only touching his face."

"Then how do you know?"

"I just do."

"Nobody will believe you."

"Itori! I don't care if nobody believes me. I know its true because she touched me too." He spat his voice losing its cool, calm demeanor.

The woman pulled her hands away from Leeloo's head as she stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I gave her a shower-"

"Why didn't she do it herself?" Itori cut him off. Her jealousy overly-abundant.

"She can't do anything by herself. She didn't even know how to turn the damn thing on. Look at her, Itori. She was somebody's slave or pet or something. I wasn't trying to have sex with her. I was trying to help her. This isn't really a normal situation." He told her. "But, As I was saying, I was giving her a shower. I tried to take her collar off. She grabbed my wrist. I can't really explain what happened. It was like I wasn't here anymore. She, we, were in my brain." He trailed off looking down at the woman that he was talking about. She looked back up to him with an apologetic gaze.

"What happened then?" She asked entranced by his story.

"Nothing." He replied simply. "She let go of me and I was back in the bathroom."

Itori was quiet as she packed her supplies back into the bag. Uta could only imagine what she was thinking. It probably wasn't good.

"She needs better clothes." She finally stated as she stood. "I think I have some at home that is too small for me. They might be just right for her."

"Thanks Itori." Uta sighed. He was thankful that she was done asking so many questions.

"I will be back soon." She smiled as she turned and waved at Uta and Leeloo before she was gone.

It was now deadly silent in the shop. Uta looked down to Leeloo, who was now sitting by his feet once again. What were they going to do now?


	7. Chapter 7

It seemed as if Itori was taking her dear sweet time returning to the shop. Uta sat at his counter, finishing up his mask. Leeloo took her place by his feet as usual. She was watching him with interest. She seemed fascinated by what he was doing. Uta looked down at her from time to time, wondering to himself if he should make her a mask. Finally the door chimed as Itori and another woman walked in. Uta did not recognize the other woman walking with Itori. She was a little shorter than Uta, with black hair that hung down past her shoulders. The closer she got, he could make out the streaks oh hot pink, peeking out from underneath. He noticed the multiple piercings that adorned her face. He smiled to himself. Finally somebody else who could appreciate body modification.

"Sorry I took so long." Itori mumbled as she walked over to where Uta was. "I have Leeloo's clothes."

She placed a small bag on the counter as she looked around. "Where is she?" Uta's eyes fell down to beside his feet, causing Itori to prop herself on the counter to see behind it. "Hey Leeloo. I have something for you." She smiled.

Leeloo looked up at Uta. "Come on, She wants to help." He told her as he reached his hand down to her. Leeloo took it and he helped her up. She stood fidgeting awkwardly as she stared at Itori and the other woman.

"Oh, Uta, Leeloo, This is Autumn. I thought she could help." Itori said nodding her head in the new woman's direction.

"Nice to meet you." She bowed and gave Uta a smile showcasing her cute dimples.

"Likewise." Uta whispered surprised at this woman's adorableness. "Thank you for coming to help. I kind of got myself into a situation."

"I think I can help, at least with giving you more information." She answered nervously. "I am a medium. A-also...I can read minds."

"You don't say." Uta breathed out, hope filling his chest. He was anxious about finding out more about Leeloo. He looked over to her. She was with Itori, who was holding up a creme colored sundress. Leeloo looked excited. It made Uta smile. He looked back to Autumn. "Thank you. I really appreciate this."

"Ahh...It's no problem." She smiled.

"Come on, Let's get you changed." Itori whispered to Leeloo. She was trying to nudge her in the direction of the stairs. Leeloo looked over to Uta, a frown forming on her face. Itori continued to nudge her. Leeloo's eye never left Uta.

"I'm sorry...She wants you to go with her." Autumn's quiet voice came out, unsure if it was her place to tell the man.

"Oh.. Okay. I will be there in a minute. I need to lock up." He smiled at the collared woman. He walked around the counter to the door and locked it before turning to Autumn. "Shall we?" He smiled as he held out his hand to the stairs leading up to his apartment. Autumn nodded as she slowly followed the tattooed ghoul up the stairs. Itori and Leeloo were waiting for him at the door.

"It's locked." She said as Uta fished the keys out of his pocket. He opened the door and allowed the girls to enter first. He closed and locked the door behind him, turning to the women. Itori handed Leeloo the dress and shooed her off to the bathroom to change.

"I don't think she can do it by herself." Uta whispered careful not to embarrass Leeloo. Leeloo stood uselessly holding the dress in her hands.

Itori sighed and followed the woman back to the bathroom. They emerged a few moments later with Leeloo in her new dress. The excitement was plastered across her face as she twirled making the end of her dress flare out. Autumn giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "This is her first dress."

Leeloo stopped and smiled at Uta. He smile quickly faded as her eyes caught a glimpse of something behind him. Uta turned to see what it was that made her so unhappy. He couldn't find a reason. Leeloo slowly pushed past him making her way to a window sill. There was a plant, shriveled and dead. Leeloo looked back at Uta with a 'how could you' expression.

"I forgot to water it I guess." He mumbled as he ran his hand across the shaved part of his head. Leeloo turned her attention back to the plant. She brought her hands up to touch it. She stopped and slowly slid her gloves off, letting them fall to the floor beside her. She cupped the small plant in her hands. She gave it a loving, warm look before pulling her hands back. The occupants of the apartment watched in amazement as the plant slowly started to turn green again. Its leaves started to perk up. Minutes later the plant looked as healthy as it could get. Leeloo turned and smiled in victory at Uta.

He looked towards Autumn. "How did she do that?"

Autumn looked as shocked as everybody else. "I-I don't know. I need to get a clear reading from her. I need to touch her."

Uta looked back to Leeloo. "Leeloo...I need to know more about you. I know it's not your fault, but you can't speak. This woman can read your mind if she touches you. May we please get to know you better?" Leeloo looked uncomfortable as she gazed at Uta, then to Autumn. She didn't answer for a moment. She seemed to be weighing the pro's and con's. She looked back to Uta and slowly nodded her head in agreement. "Good." Uta smiled as he gestured for the woman to sit on the couch next to Autumn.

"Ok Leeloo, I need to touch you...Is that okay?" Autumn said sweetly as if Leeloo was a child. Leeloo's discomfort increased tenfold. Even still she agreed. Autumn sighed nervously. "Okay..Here we go." She whispered as she reached out for the woman.


End file.
